As some of you know, I sent the big glass torch in for maintenance because the torch body was getting excessively hot while in use, and I was worried about causing further damage by running it that way.
I have received the results of the inspection, and Carlisle recommended replacement of the inner fire tube assembly in addition to the normal cleaning they do on any torch that comes in for maintenance.
Additionally, while reconfiguring the gas lines for temporary use while the torch was gone, I found that our oldest oxygen regulator is broken, causing excessive pressure spikes on the lines, and needs to be replaced. The propane regulator that is paired with it is similarly old, so I would feel most comfortable replacing them as a pair.
The total of the maintenance, repair, a cleaning kit, regulators and shipping back and forth comes to about $600. Normally this type thing would be worked into the Warden Budget, but John asked that I put this up for vote since the warden budget is currently strained by several other large repair efforts (Laser, Big CNC, etc.).
Thanks,
Kevin M.
Hot Crafts Warden
PS - I had mentioned to some of you that I had been hoping to have them install two upgrades while it was there, an Air Optimizer to reduce oxygen consumption, and a water cooling jacket to keep the torch cooler and extend it’s life, but those upgrades were more expensive than I had hoped, at $600 total, so I decided it is best to forego them for now.
PPS - you might have seen an earlier version of this vote come through, I forgot the regulators so deleted it and reposted it, sorry